


Under the Weather

by notjustmom



Series: Box of 64 [18]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Established Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, M/M, Parentlock, Sick Fic, The Princess Bride References, not quite retired, princess bride quotes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2017-04-02
Packaged: 2018-10-14 00:22:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10525014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notjustmom/pseuds/notjustmom
Summary: John has a cold; Rosie comes home to take care of the boys.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [scrub456](https://archiveofourown.org/users/scrub456/gifts).



> for my favourite who is under the weather herself xoxox

“ 'Do you love me, Westley? Is that it?’  
He couldn’t believe it. ‘Do I love you? My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches. If your love were—‘  
‘I don’t understand the first one yet,’ Buttercup interrupted. She was starting to get very excited now. ‘Let me get this straight. Are you saying my love is the size of a grain of sand and yours is this other thing? Images just confuse me so—is this universal business of yours bigger than my sand? Help me, Westley. I have the feeling we’re on the verge of something just terribly important...' "

 

John sniffled and peeked out from under the piles of covers. "Why aren't you at work?" He struggled to sit up, but Rosie shook her head. He sighed, knowing he wouldn't win this argument, so he slid back down under the covers. "He called you."

"I called last night, asked after you; he said you were fine. He's always been a terrible liar, I could tell from his voice that he hadn't slept for three, no, four nights, and it wasn't for a case, he was worried, and he only ever worries like that about you. So I took a few days off from work. Before you ask, he's out for a walk and to get breakfast, then he's going to come back and get in this bed with you and sleep for a couple of days. You idiots don't have to do this on your own, you do know that, don't you?"

"We hate bothering -" he began.

Rosie placed her bookmark in the book, and closed it carefully, then laid it in her lap. She sighed and rubbed her face before speaking again. "You two are the most important people in my life, even Lily knows, she knows, I love her with everything I have, but, you two idiots...you gave me, continue to give me everything. You have no idea, do you?" 

John blinked at her and opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again and shook his head.

"You two showed me that there are people who can love one another in a way that - damn. There is a reason this was always my favourite book. It was the first book Da ever read to me, and when I got older, I realized you two were a lot like Westley and Buttercup, you two survived death, and the fire swamp, and Prince Humperdinck, I know my mum wasn't quite...but you know what I mean, and yet, you found a way to keep loving each other in a way that defies logic, and you gave that love to me, so generously, no matter what. So, no. It is not a bother for me to take a few days off from work to take care of you and make sure Da doesn't run himself in the ground worrying about you." She stopped as they both could hear the unmistakable sounds of Sherlock returning home. He was a bit slowed by a hip, but still bounded up the steps and slammed the door behind him as he entered the flat. He dropped the shopping on the counter, not bothering to take off his coat first, then slowed his gait, as if trying to pretend he wasn't in a rush to check on John. Rosie and John rolled their eyes and looked up together to see Sherlock leaning casually against the doorframe.

"You're awake. That's good. I've, uhm, missed you."

"Missed you too, love. Go hang up your coat and take off your shoes then get your lovely arse in here with me."

Sherlock nodded and went to do as instructed. Rosie leaned over and kissed John on his still too warm forehead and touched his face gently. "Please, let me take care of you the way you two always took care of me? It truly isn't a bother, it's my honour, you should know that by now, yeah?"

Sherlock reentered the room then and slid in next to John and pulled him into his arms. "She gave you the lecture too, I assume?"

John nodded and snuggled against Sherlock's chest, "yeah, professors think they know everything, especially the young ones..."

Sherlock winked at Rosie and she rolled her eyes, then she picked up the book and found her place again.

 

" ‘...I have stayed these years in my hovel because of you. I have taught myself languages because of you. I have made my body strong because I thought you might be pleased by a strong body. I have lived my life with only the prayer that some sudden dawn you might glance in my direction. I have not known a moment in years when the sight of you did not send my heart careening against my rib cage. I have not known a night when your visage did not accompany me to sleep. There has not been a morning when you did not flutter behind my waking eyelids….Is any of this getting through to you, Buttercup, or do you want me to go on for a while?’ "

 

Rosie could tell John had drifted off back to sleep by the change in his breathing, and she looked up to see Sherlock smiling softly at her. "Thank you, Ro." 

"No, Da, thank you." Sherlock blew her a kiss and closed his eyes, and she began once again.

 

" ‘Never stop.’  
‘There has not been—‘  
‘If you’re teasing me, Westley, I’m just going to kill you.’  
‘How can you even dream I might be teasing?’  
‘Well, you haven’t once said you loved me.’  
‘That’s all you need? Easy. I love you. Okay? Want it louder? I love you. Spell it out, should I? I ell-oh-vee-ee why-oh-you. Want it backward? You love I.’  
‘You are teasing now; aren’t you?’  
‘A little maybe; I’ve been saying it so long to you, you just wouldn’t listen. Every time you said ‘Farm boy do this’ you thought I was answering ‘As you wish’ but that’s only because you were hearing wrong. ‘I love you’ was what it was, but you never heard, and you never heard.' ” 

 

Rosie closed the book and laid it on the bedside table, then stood up and stretched. She drew the covers over her two favourite people in the world, then tiptoed to the door and blew them both a kiss as she closed the door. She rubbed her face and pulled out her phone.

"Hey, love, yeah, he's still not great, but he's getting better, temperature is down a bit. I'm going to stay a couple of days just to be sure Da gets some rest too. Yeah, if you want to bring dinner tonight, they'd love to see you, and you know I can't sleep without you. Love you, too."


End file.
